PawPaw, didn't you get the memo about today's deer being armor plated so that they don't go down unless you use the latest whiz-bang magnum?

People keep sending me that memo, but maybe I'm to curmudgeonly to understand it. Or maybe all my years of hunting deer with front-stuffers and a patched round ball have inured me to common sense.

Actually, it is my firmly held belief that the bullet manufacturers have done great work over the past decade in giving us lots of good choices. They've really stepped up their game, and some of the newer manufacturing methods have given us some outstanding bullets, while some of their marketing has been a bit weird. Zombie bullets? Really?

I've gotten out of the front-stuffer business in the last several years, mainly from a nod to practicality. It is really practical to put a brass cartridge in my pocket instead of hanging a five pound possibles bag over my shoulder. That same practicality is leading me to one rifle, in my case an old Savage in .30-06. I don't load it very hot but I've found that it does everything that I want a rifle to do.

Still, I understand guys asking the questions and I normally don't tell anyone that they are on the wrong track. The bullet manufacturers are doing great work, and they've got to sell those bullets that they spent all that time developing.